Filament spinning take-up means

ABSTRACT

A filament spinning take-up arrangement is provided by which a sheet of filament strands is received from a spinning station and turned for winding on an axis perpendicular to the spinning station in a manner that directs the strands in spaced relation as they are delivered for winding without requiring guide means for this purpose.

United States Patent. 1191 Pierce l l Jan. 28, 1975 1 FILAMENT SPINNING TAKE-UP MEANS 3.355.1l6 11/1967 Conrad 242/111 DD 3.544,()l7 l2 l970 S h' t'l 242 18 R [75] Inventor: John H. Pierce, Charlotte. N.C. C lpperb e d [73] Assignee: The Bouligny Company. Charl tte. Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath N.C. Armrney, Agent, or Firm-Richards, Shefte & 22 Filed: Aug. 15, 1973 Pmckney [21] Appl. No.: 388,566 [57] ABSTRACT A filament spinning take-up arrangement is provided $5323 by which a sheet of filament strands is received from a [5 1 'f 35 5 R R 18 5 spinning station and turned for winding on an axis per- [58] held of arch 4 2 47 pendicular to the spinning station in a manner that directs the strands in spaced relation as they are dclivd f d' 't t 'd 3 f Reerences Cited 32 Wagons/Ln mg WI hou requiring gui e means or UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 3,036,784 5/1962 Schippers at al 242 355 R 4 Dmwmg figures PATENIED 3. 862.722

sum 1 or 2 Mumm PATENTED JAN 2 81975 MAN/F04 D SPIN/VEEETTES HIlllll UIIIHP 1 FILAMENT SPINNING TAKE-UP MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The prior art has recognized that in taking-up spun filament at a spinning station it is desirable to wind the filament in packages about axes arranged perpendicular to the spinning station both because the winder can be attended most conveniently if it has such an arrangement, and because an arrangement of this sort allows adequate winding capacity to be provided with the best use of floor space. Spinning stations are commonly aligned in a row with take-up means provided for each station in the row, and in referring to an axis as being arranged perpendicular to the station it is meant that the axis is perpendicular to the row of stations or, more particularly, perpendicular to the plane in which spinnerettes incorporating a group of nozzles at each spinning station issue filament strands as a sheet which must be taken-up thereat, such plane being normally arranged parallel to the aligned row of spinning stations or spinnerettes. In the latter connection, the prior art has also recognized that the issuing filament strand sheet, which comprises a plurality of strands, should not be diverted materially from its issuing parallel arrangement until after it has passed through the quench tube or cabinet provided immediately beyond the spinnerette for subjecting the filament strands to solidifying air currents. This is so, because the air current influence is produced for essentially equal effect on each strand of the filament sheet at its normal parallel arrangement, and if this arrangement is diverted or disturbed unduly in the quench tube, the air current influence can become undesirably unequal among the strands of the sheet.

An exemplary prior art disclosure is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,017, in which the take-up arrangement shown employs a first godet disposed parallel to the spinning station for receiving the filament sheet beyond the quench tube and allowing it to be trained therefrom over one or more second godets disposed perpendicularly for delivering the filament strands to similarly disposed package winders. Such an arrangement maintains the initial parallel position of the issuing filament sheet, while allowing the desirable perpendicular axis take-up winding, but it requires stationary guide means at the second godets to maintain the filament strands separate as the turn is made from parallel to perpendicular axis handling, whereas it is often highly desirable to avoid touching the filament strands with any more stationary guide elements than is absolutely necessary in the course of taking them up. The present invention makes it possible to eliminate the use of guide means at the second godets whenever desired, and in any event to direct the filament strands from the first godet to the second ones in spaced relation so that the undesirable effect of using guide means at the second godets is lessened even when such use is elected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the present invention is characterized by an arrangement of the first godet for operation about an axis that is angled sufficiently from parallel with a spinning station for directing the filament strands of a sheet issuing thereat to one or more perpendicularly arranged second godets in spaced relation without causing the filament sheet as received at the first godet to be turned unduly from its issuing parallel arrangement.

The foregoing results have been achieved effectively with the first godet axis angled at 15 from parallel with the spinning station, and it appears that about this much angling is needed to obtain significant spacing of the filament strands from the first to the second godets. Greater spacing will result as the degree of angling is increased, but greater diversion of the filament sheet from its issuing parallel arrangement also results with increased angling and care must be exercised in this respect to avoid inducing unequal quench tube treatment of the filament strands. Present experience indicates that angling in the order of 15 provides a very satisfactory balance between the two above-noted results. An embodiment of the invention is described in greater detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a more or less schematic diagram of a takeup means arranged in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1a is a similar diagram indicating the spinnerrette and quench tube arrangement in relation to the issuing sheet of filament strands at each spinning station;

FIG. 2 is a corresponding diagram in plan; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the general structural arrangement of the take-up means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The take-up means diagramed in FIG. 1 is arranged for handling filament strands S as received from a spinning station quench tube (see FIG. 1a) and, for that purpose, includes a pair of vertically spaced finish applicator rolls I0 and 12, at which an intermediately disposed guide element 14 is provided to insure contact of the strands S with the rolls l0 and 12 for finish application thereat as they are takenup.

The filament strands S are actually received from the spinning station by a first godet 16 positioned below the applicator rolls l0 and 12 for drawing the strands S thereover and for redirecting them upwardly to laterally spaced second godets l8 and 20 over which they are trained for delivery downwardly to respective bobbin winders comprising traverse mechanisms at 22 and 24, print rolls at 26 and 28, and winding spindles 30 and 32 carried by pivoted support arms 34 and 36.

As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the take-up means illustrated represents an end unit that is repeated to serve each spinning station of a group which, as mentioned earlier, are ordinarily installed in an aligned row. Such aligned rows of eight to 16 spinning stations or positions are common. The take-up means provided according to the present invention at each spinning station of a group of this sort has both the second godets l8 and 20 and the bobbin winding spindles 30 and 32 arranged by usual supporting means to operate about respective horizontal axes extending perpendicularly with respect to the spinning station row, while the first godet I6 is similarly arranged to operate about a horizontal axis that is angled from parallel with the spinning station row.

As already noted, the filament strands S produced at each spinning station normally issue therefrom as a sheet in a plane parallel with the aligned row of stations for immediate passage through a quench tube in which solidifying air currents are applied, and it is important not to disturb this parallel strand arrangement unduly during the quench tube passage. Consequently, the allowable extent of first godet axis angling is limited by this consideration, and it has heretofore been assumed that it should not be angled at all. In accordance with the present invention, however, it has been found that some angling of the first godet 16 can be tolerated with out-adversely affecting the quench tube treatment, and that the angling thus found permissible provides substantial advantage in subsequent take-up handling.

To illustrate this subsequent handling advantage, FIG. 1 shows a representative sheet of eight filament strands S being received at the first godet 16 for takeup. As received, the strands S have been drawn past the finish applicator rolls l and 12 and are trained under the first godet 16 for direction upwardly therefrom to the second perpendicularly arranged godets l6 and 18, the filament sheet being split at this point so that four strands S are directed to each second godet. If the first godet is not angled, the split filament sheets must be turned a full 90 in proceeding to the second godets l8 and 20, and this means that the involved filament strands S will want to converge at common vertexes upon reaching the second godets, which means in turn that guide means must be provided ahead of each second godet to maintain a separation between the strands S thereat.

In the FIG. 1 illustration it is not possible to show that a similar strand convergence does not take place, but FIG. 2 indicates quite clearly the different situation that results from angling the first godet 16. As illustrated, by such angling the strands S are directed to the second godets 18 and in spaced relation without the slightest tendency to converge. In point of fact, while the FIG. 2 illustration is laid out to show the spaced strand relation as if it followed a parallel pattern, the actual tendency is for the strands S to spread as they pass over the second godets l8 and 20 and are delivered downwardly, as illustrated in FIG. 3, to the bobbin winders for building into packages at positions indicated by dotted lines at B on winding spindle 32. The relative positions of the full packages ultimately obtained are indicated at B in FIG. 1.

Thus, as a result of the foregoing first godet angling, the use of stationary filament strand guide means ahead of the second godets l8 and 20 becomes a matter of choice rather than a necessity and, even when it is desired to use such guide means in order to deliver the strands S downwardly in centered alignment with the bobbin winding positions B, the undesirable influence of such guide means on the strands is materially lessened because they want to spread rather than converge and the guiding is substantially less forced than usual. As previously noted, first godet angling in the order of 15 provides the advantages of the present invention quite satisfactorily, and it should be added that the finish applicator rolls 10, 12 and intermediate guide element 14 are similarly angled for proper related functioning.

The structural and operating arrangement of the take-up means is further illustrated in FIG. 3 in which the angled finish applicator rolls l0 and 12 are shown with finish supply pans 38 and 40 arranged thereat together with exteriorhousings 42 and 44 through which the rolls l0 and 12 are exposed for filament strand contact (compare FIGS. 1 and 2). The applicator rolls l0 and 12 are driven through suitable take-off arrangements (not shown) from common shafts 46 and 48 extending to serve all of the take-up units provided and connected as indicated at 50 and 52 with single drive motors 54 and 56. The first godet l6 of each take-up unit is provided with an individual drive motor as indicated at 58, as are the second godets as indicated at 60 in relation to the second godet 20. The remaining drive arrangements for the bobbin winders is not indicated because they follow usual form in providing for rotation of the print rolls 26 and 28 with timed operation of the traverse mechanisms 22 and 24 for building bobbin packages on the free spindles 30 and 32.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise to exclude any variation or equivalent arrangement that would be apparent from, or reasonably suggested by, the foregoing disclosure to the skill of the art.

I claim:

1. In filament spinning take-up means by which a plurality of filament strands issued from a spinning station in a plane as a sheet are received at a first godet and directed therefrom to a second godet for delivery to a bobbin winder, and in which said second godet and said bobbin winder operate about respective horizontal axes extending perpendicularly with respect to the plane of the filament sheet issued by said spinning station, the improvement which comprises means supporting said first godet for operation about a horizontal axis that is angled sufficiently from parallel with respect to the plane of the filament sheet issued by said spinning station for directing the filament strands of said plurality to said second godet in spaced relation without causing the strand sheet received from said spinning station to be turned unduly from parallel with respect to said plane by said first godet.

2. In filament spinning take-up means, the improvement defined in claim 1 wherein at least one finish applicator roll is disposed for contact with said plurality of filament strands ahead of said first godet and is arranged for operation about a horizontal axis angled from parallel with respect to said plane to the same extent as said first godet.

3. In filament spinning take-up means, the improvement defined in claim 1 wherein the angling of said first godet is in the order of 15 from parallel with respect to said plane.

4. In filament spinning take-up means, the improvement defined in claim 1 wherein an aligned row of spinning stations is provided and a plurality of filament strands issues as a sheet at each spinning station in a common plane, a first godet is angled from parallel with respect to said plane at each spinning station, and at least one second godet and bobbin winder operate about axes perpendicular to said plane at each spinning station. 

1. In filament spinning take-up means by which a plurality of filament strands issued from a spinning station in a plane as a sheet are received at a first godet and directed therefrom to a second godet for delivery to a bobbin winder, and in which said second godet and said bobbin winder operate about respective horizontal axes extending perpendicularly with respect to the plane of the filament sheet issued by said spinning station, the improvement which comprises means supporting said first godet for operation about a horizontal axis that is angled sufficiently from parallel with respect to the plane of the filament sheet issued by said spinning station for directing the filament strands of said plurality to said second godet in spaced relation without causing the strand sheet received from said spinning station to be turned unduly from parallel with respect to said plane by said first godet.
 2. In filament spinning take-up means, the improvement defined in claim 1 wherein at least one finish applicator roll is disposed for contact with said plurality of filament strands ahead of said first godet and is arranged for operation about a horizontal axis angled from parallel with respect to said plane to the same extent as said first godet.
 3. In filament spinning take-up means, the improvement defined in claim 1 wherein the angling of said first godet is in the order of 15* from parallel with respect to said plane.
 4. In filament spinning take-up means, the improvement defined in claim 1 wherein an aligned row of spinning stations is provided and a plurality of filament strands issues as a sheet at each spinning station in a common plane, a first godet is angled from parallel with respect to said plane at each spinning station, and at least one second godet and bobbin winder operate about axes perpendicular to said plane at each spinning station. 